steeds
and two Parshni charioteers with that mace of his, Subhadra's son,
pierced all over with arrows, looked like a porcupine. Then that hero
pressed Suvala's son, Kalikeya, down into the earth, and slew seven and
seventy Gandhara followers of the latter. Next, he slew ten car-warriors
of the Brahma-Vasatiya race, and then ten huge elephants. Proceeding next
towards the car of Duhsasana's son, he crushed the latter's car and
steeds, pressing them down into the earth. The invincible son of
Duhsasana, then, O sire, taking up his mace, rushed at Abhimanyu, saying,
"Wait, Wait!" Then those cousins, those two heroes, with upraised maces,
began to strike each other, desirous of achieving each other's death,
like three-eyed (Mahadeva) and (the Asura) Andhaka in the days of old.
Each of those chastisers of foes, struck with the other's mace-ends fell
down on the earth, like two uprooted standards erected to the honour of
Indra. Then Duhsasana's son, that enhancer of the fame of the Kurus,
rising up first, struck Abhimanyu with the mace on the crown of his head,
as the latter was on the point of rising. Stupefied with the violence of
that stroke as also with the fatigue he had undergone, that slayer of
hostile hosts, viz., the son of Subhadra, fell on the earth, deprived of
his senses. Thus, O king, was one slain by many in battle,--one who had
ground the whole army, like an elephant grinding lotus-stalks in a lake.
As he lay dead on the field, the heroic Abhimanyu looked like a wild
elephant slain by the hunters. The fallen hero was then surrounded by thy
troops. And he looked like an extinguished fire in the summer season
after (as it lies) having consumed a whole forest, or like a tempest
divested of its fury after having crushed mountain crests;[80] or like
the sun arrived at the western hills after having blasted with his heat
the Bharata host; or like Soma swallowed up by Rahu; or like the ocean
reft of water. The mighty car-warriors of thy army beholding Abhimanyu
whose face had the splendour of the full moon, and whose eyes were
rendered beautiful in consequence of lashes black as the feathers of the
raven, lying prostrate on the bare earth, were filled with great joy. And
they repeatedly uttered leonine shouts. Indeed, O monarch, thy troops
were in transports of joy, while tears fell fast from the eyes of the
Pandava heroes. Beholding the heroic Abhimanyu lying on the field of
battle, like the moon dropped from the firm